Saturday, June 04, 2005

Saturday, 4th June

There was no sailing today; instead Chas took me to the Eden Project, which was a feast for the eye. The humidity in the tropical undercover area was almost overpowering. I much preferred the Mediterranean climatic area were everything was so clearly displayed. Countless species of flowers, shrubs, trees, grasses and cacti were arranged in order with excellent descriptions of their origins and conditions necessary for their growth and propagation. An out of doors area was set aside for natural and cultivated plants found in Cornwall.

The controlled areas for foreign species were under huge transparent modular window panels similar in concept to the structure of the eyes of wasps and bees, but magnified on a huge scale, so as to be hundreds of feet above the ground. I have a feeling the structures were designed by the famous architect Norman Foster who was responsible for the Dome in London and the Stansted Airport Terminal Buildings. In addition to the space ship type ‘houses’ for the exhibits, an impressive education centre is currently being built as a complementary asset showing the importance of the world’s natural ecology and demonstrating the need for conservation and environmental friendly practices.

Sunday, 5th, Monday, 6th and Tuesday the 7th will be non sailing days, because I shall be returning home to attend the funeral of my wife’s brother, Donald.

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